Animal Procurement and Transport: Connecting the Dots

Transportation is a typically stressful experience for animals. Whether it is primarily between their breeding place and the facility they will be used at, or in the scope of an inter-institutional collaboration (see Chap. 19 ), or after being used in laboratories in order to reach a rehoming place, every animal used for scientific purpose is subject to transport in a way or another during its life. As the way animals are transported is often—not to say always—transparent for the researchers, this step may not be given the attention it deserves. However, transport, with all different aspects and the complexity in it, shall not be neglected as it does directly impact animals, from a welfare standpoint, and their ability to meet the standards required for scientific purposes, and humans, from a health and safety perspective. Addressing different considerations, this chapter seeks to illustrate that every transport may have a diversity of impacts on animals, that must all be anticipated and addressed to ensure animals will go through the journey in the best possible manner and remain fit for scientific purpose.